Missin' a Turtle?
by Spiritual Stone
Summary: These are the worst nightmares to a Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle: Being out in Open Daylight, News reporters, Secret Agencies of any kind, Dissection boards, e.t.c. And Raph just entered a nightmare that involves all of the above and more. ON HIATUS.
1. Shower of Problems

_**Missin' a turtle? **_

_**Shower**_

"Everyone, we have a new student today. Come on in, son."

Son. Why did everybody hafta call me '_son_'? I ain't their son, I ain't related to 'em; I ain't even the same species as 'em! He wasn't even a proper sensei! He didn't know anythin' I wanted ta learn, an' nothin' was gonna change that. I was leavin' as soon as I bloody could. An' that was how it was gonna be.

Nobody knew how tempted I was to tell 'im to not call me that. I'd done that once, an' the results weren't too pretty. Not to mention the kids that were watchin'… can't lose it here. You know what? I can't lose it _anywhere_! I had the freedom to start yellin' an' cussin' before, but now, I ain't allowed.

An' I thought my life was all rules an' regulations. Geez, I really, _really_ wanna leave…

How long was I stuck here anyway? A couple a' days? A few weeks? I don't think I could take more than a month…

I can't believe I was standin' in fronta these people! Ain't it bad enough that I'm stuck in this shape? I'm forced to come here, sit here, work here, an' get stared at like some lab-rat!

Yeah. Applause ya stupid buncha kids. Applause for the freak. The genetic wonder. The very thing you'd run away from if you knew what I was. Stupid humans. Look away. Look away an' they'll leave ya alone. Hey, maybe the bros're in the trees? Maybe even sensei? C'mon… you gotta be out there somewhere right?

What was I thinkin'? We're ninjas. We don't come out in broad daylight; especially in open grass with only a couple 'a trees… 'course they're empty. They're not stupid.

Aurgh… I shouldn't be disappointed, right? It was obvious they weren't there. Damn the hair on my head. Keeps gettin' into my eyes… wish they'd stop starin' at me. Maybe if I didn't look at 'em, I'll be okay. I hope the teacher won't give my name out…

"Everybody, meet Raphael Splinterson."

I _officially_ hate this teacher.

—A Week Ago—

"Let these people go, Bishop!" Leonardo was shoutin', pointin' towards the lunatic with his fancy Katana. I'd hoped that this nutcase ended up dead or stranded in an island far, far away from New York, but here we were, in a buildin' that was supposed to be sellin' TVs, findin' another genetics lab instead.

For once it wasn't the Foot fungus, but the E.P.F. or somethin'. Not that it was any better or anythin'; they're still intent on dissectin' us just because we're half alien mutation. You'd wonder where all that love for earth species went, eh?

Oh, an' the people Leo was talkin' about? Well Bishop there decided that clonin' himself didn't cut the budget so abductin' people from the harbour would do great!

The sicko! It was innocent people he was messin' with… innocent people an' alien mutation! Anybody seemed fine to him… makin' my blood boil. Nobody would understand my anger… I refuse to see people bein' mutated by this scum. Not after Donnie. Not after the outbreak that changed him.

"Leo, give me one good reason why I shouldn't bust his head in."

Splinter Jr must've known I was gonna say that, "The people first, Raph."

I growled. "Right."

Yeah. The people? The last thin' they felt like was happy campers. Most of em'd bin turned to mutants. Crazy monsters like the ones we'd found in the underground Foot genetics lab, where we met Quarry an' the rest a' her gang. They were stuck in cases made a' hard glass, most of 'em dunked in that preservative stuff, knocked out cold. There were others strapped to dissection boards, an' there…

I wondered if I'd gone nuts.

"Aw no…"

The bros looked too, an' they weren't happy either. Cages. Prisons that could fit in big mutts, except we weren't lookin' at dogs. They wailed an' cried an' huddled together, lookin' back at us with scared faces. Did they see what happened to the adults? See 'em turn to monsters that they only saw in bad dreams? Two of 'em was almost teens, but the rest…

Now _that_ was the end a'the line.

"_You're using kids as experiments!?_" Mikey'd hollered, only just stoppin' himself from attackin'.

But not me. I was already headin' towards Bishop, weapons in my hands, roarin' somethin' about kickin' his sorry butt all the way to the end a' next week after turnin' his bones to paste.

He just smirked an' dodged every attack I dished out. Don'd come with me (wow, Don actin' like a hot-head? Thought I'd never see the day) an' helped me, his face carved deep with fury.

"You have no _right…_" we swung, stabbed, kicked, why did he hafta be so fast!? "_To ruin these peoples lives_!" Donnie swung again, but Bishop carted off.

"On the contrary…" Bishop ho-hummed, jumpin' over our heads to kick us in the shells, "I am simply making their lives _easier_. With the alien threat in action, fellow humans have to make certain… sacrifices. They aren't in any pain, nor are they in any bodily harm. They are simply contributing to their planet's safety… by becoming the new soldiers of the E.P.F.!"

"_Enough_!" With Leo's word all a' us were mobbin' the agent, gainin' more ground into the buildin' an' into Bishop's lair. Pain hit me in the chest as Bishop threw in a kick, an' I skidded all the way back to the startin' line on my back, hittin' one a' those glass tubes with my head. I looked up at the monsters that'd bin people… sisters… _brothers_.

_The giant creature that was a strange mixture of lizard and turtle roared, saliva dropping to the floor onto Donnie's mask… _

I ain't gonna let that happen again!

I ran towards the cage that held the kids, rippin' the bars apart with my sai. I tore the thing to scraps, but they didn't budge. Were they blind or somethin'!? They were free, but they wouldn't leave the bloody lab! "_Move!!_"

That got 'em goin'.

But I didn't have the time ta be relieved. My bros were still in trouble. I spun on the balls a' my feet, an' for a second I couldn't breathe. Don an' Mikey was skiddin' here on their shells too, but I didn't mind that. It was Leo. I wouldn't've bin' worried, if he was just bein' grabbed at by the throat, but this was a whole lot different. That nutcase had that dissection blade!

"_Uh, guys… you know how when we were young, I liked to pull the toaster apart to see how it worked? Well… I think I finally know how the toaster felt like!"_

Oh no. That ain't gonna happen. He tortured Leatherhead the first time. He nearly split Mikey the second time. Took Master Splinter an' used him as a lab-rat the third time. Scrambled Donnie's DNA the fourth time. He was _not_ gonna take a chance with Leo! The only one that was gonna be toast here was that human that held my bro!

"_Bishop_!"

He looked my way, an' that was enough of a distraction for Leo to kick him in the gut, makin' him let go. I jumped on the nearest thing an' used it as a trampoline, breakin' it with a crunch before wallopin' Bishop in the ribs, sparks flyin' from the machine.

Hope I broke it.

I kept swingin' my sai, determined to stab him, hurt him like he did my family. I wasn't gonna stand back an' let 'im do what he wanted. I sat back an' watched for the last time, you scum-bag! This time, I was gonna clobber that smirkin', all-knowin', high-to-heaven smug…!

I swung with more vigour than before.

The others joined in, yellin' like I was as we attacked, grindin' his defences little by little. Did he think he was that great? Did he really think that takin' an' ruinin' these peoples' lives—_our_ lives—was somethin' he could do when he wanted to!? He was goin' ta pay. I was gonna _kill him_.

I stabbed at the floor where he fell, driving for the left side a' his chest.

He kicked me in the gut again an' I went soarin' backwards, my shell crashin' into a glass pillar that wasn't as strong as the prison canisters. Liquid an' glass bombed down on me, stingin' my eyes an' cuttin' at my skin. It wasn't bad, but I could tell I was bleedin'.

"_Raph_!"

"Forget me! Get _Bishop_!"

They left after Bishop, hollerin' as they clashed again. Gotta… get back to the fight! I struggled to my feet, stabbin' a metal box to use as a crutch an' help myself up. If it was the last thing I do… I was going to kill him. I was going tear him apart… I was going to… to … _to_…

I fell to the slick floor, dizzy an' sick an' hurtin'. I couldn't fight. Wait, that ain't right… I was feelin' fine…! The lab began tiltin' on its own like it wanted roll over or somethin', an' I grabbed my sai that was still stuck in the machine in hopes a' gettin' to my feet. But I caught somethin' else instead an' when I pulled, it dropped down next to me, shatterin' like sharp stars, cuttin' into my skin, makin' more blood come out in streams. One a' the corked test-tubes survived, an' I held it in my three fingered green hand, wonderin' what it was.

—An Hour Or Two Later—

I woke up in the lair—or in the shower—with water hittin' at my skin an' cuts, gettin' rid a' the stuff I'd showered in before knockin' out. Why did I do that anyways…?

"Errrgh…"

"Raph!" Mikey helped me up in the warm rain, sittin' next to me to get himself soaked. The idiot. He better not come cryin' to me when he gets a cold… "Oh man, you scared us! We got so worried when you didn't come get Bishop with us… Dude, we thought you were down for the count!"

"I was _not_." I growled, rubbin' at my head, sticky with sweat. "Just… I don't know what it was."

"It was this." Don said, chucking the test-tube I'd found, up an' down, up an' down… "It smelt worse than ammonia when we got back to you. I'm just surprised you're still not out cold, or your nose is still working properly. If it was a human…"

"Yeah, yeah, we ain't human so let's leave it." I grunted, still sittin' in the shower, the water drippin' down my hide. I needed it warmer; the water was getting' colder by the second. "…You guys get Bishop?"

The fact that they didn't say anything kinda blew it for 'em. Damn the water was cold…! We were cold-blooded; didn't Mikey get that? Wasn't the water botherin' him? I looked at him. No.

But the water was still friggin' cold. An' my fingers were goin' itchy. Rrr…!

"We'll get 'im next time, Leo. We'll get 'im so bad, he'll be screamin' till he landed in Texas."

I scratched at my arm, knowin' without lookin' that Leo was at least smilin' a bit. He put way too much on his shell. Thinks he can handle the responsibility. The shell-for-brains. For a wise, fearless Splinter Jr, he really didn't know his limits. "What about the humans from the lab? The kids?"

Leo shook his head sadly. "Nothing on the news."

"You okay Raphie boy?" Mikey asked me, nudgin' my arm with his elbow, "Is the goo-stuff bothering ya? Don thought it was a good idea getting rid a' it, but we had to bust ya out first with the men-in-blue coming in with the sirens and all that…"

"Nah, it's just me. An' I told ya not ta call me that." I lied, hopin' ta get the throbbin' in my toes outta my head. It was prob'ly nothin'. Must've got something on it. Maybe the thing that'd held the test-tube'd fallen on it. Yeah, that made sense.

"Raph." Leo was crouchin' in fronta me now, concern written all over his green face, "You're looking really pale. Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded an' stood without shakin' (which was _hard_). "Yeah. I'm fine, serious. I'll just go rest. I'll be kickin' after a nap."

I felt seriously dizzy by the time I'd crossed the lair an' slammed the door shut. It was hard to get enough air into my lungs. Even deep breaths were stranglin'. Wasn't there some aspirin in the cupboard…? 'Cause I felt really, really sick. Damn it, this ain't good. Was I… was I turnin' inta somethin'? I… I gotta do somethin'! Get outta here before I hurt the guys, get on the sewer slider an' get the shell outta here!

I stumbled an' crashed against my stuff, tumbling to the floor with me, hitting me in the process. Damn it, it wasn't like I wasn't already in a lotta pain!? My head was havin' a rollercoaster ride, an' I couldn't think because a' the headache. It felt like a drill was tryin' to reshape my skull! Whole body _ached_; especially my hands an' feet. They felt like they were tearin' apart! My bones felt like they were meltin', but my skin felt like it just got covered by ice. The heat… the cold… it hurts…!

I did something I'd never done in my life.

I screamed because a' the pain.

—A Day Later—

"Hey Raph! Raph, are you okay!?" Mikey yelled as he hammered on my door, makin' me cringe. I was glad I'd locked the door; he would've freaked if he saw me. My whole body hurt, I couldn't move, an' didn't want to. Things were getting too creepy. This had to be a dream…

"Raph!" he'd prob'ly gotten everybody's attention with his yellin' an' panic. I couldn't let 'em in. If this was a dream, I'd wake up about now. Yeah. Just a dream.

Crud. I was thinking like Mikey; an' that meant _bad_.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Serious. I ain't hungry, that's all."

Tell me that they bought it…

"Not _hungry_? Raph, you missed dinner last night and breakfast this morning! It's past lunch now, and you're still not hungry? What's wrong, dude?"

Shell. I didn't know the time'd passed that much…

"Raphael."

I cringed again. Oh no, not Sensei!

"My son; we are worried about you. I beg of you to come out and eat, at least. If you are feeling unwell, it will strengthen you for the healing process. Unless you have something else on your mind…?"

I hated it when he used that tone. 'That tone' bein' the tone that none of us could escape an' tell a lie to, whether it be in his face, not lookin' at his face, or in my case, from behind a door an' under a blanket.

"I… Alright maybe I'm not okay. I… um… I don't want ya guys to freak… so uh…"

"Okay, Raph you're officially scaring me." Wait till ya see me Mikey, before you say that kinda stuff. "We're busting in, whether you like it or not."

Crud.

He blew the door in, Master Splinter an' Leo an' Don followin' him in. They were prob'ly wonderin' why I was hidin' under a pile a' sheets like a wuss, an' why they were gonna freak when they looked at me. Shell, _I_ did when I looked in the mirror, and it took a lot ta freak me.

A hand was on my head, a little sharp 'cause a' the nails. I didn't mind. This was sensei I was talkin' about. "Raphael? Raphael, you will be fine, we will help you heal." I heard sensei say, kneelin' in fronta me.

I wanted to say, Yeah. Right.

"I'm sorry sensei, but I think this thing's outta your league."

I let the blanket round my head go, crumplin' round my shoulders.

I just hope that this time, we won't need Bishop's help.

—Present—

I sat at my table, right in the middle. Just _had _to be in the middle, out in the open. I couldn't even look out the window without catchin' attention. An bein' ordered round by someone other than Master Splinter was really stabbin' at my nerves. Can't a turtle look for a brother without bein' told off!? I knew it was stupid, lookin' outside for the guys when the trees were too small an' too far apart to cross but… a turtle can hope, right?

"Raphael! Pay attention!"

I turned back from the window, feelin' good. "Yeah sure. Whatever."

I leaned back in the chair, glad that a certain brainiac was hittin' an annoyin' brother up the head for me, an' seein' a teacher's pet breakin' a few rules once in a while really made my first day.

Until the stupid bell rang, that is. "Hey! Welcome to Manchester High. I'm the Class Captain, also your friendly representative to the School's News Reporting Agency. Mind if I ask some questions?"

* * *

**Hello, readers! Thank you for coming all this way, and I'd appreciate it if you reviewed. This is my first turtle-turning-human thing, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions queries problems or requests, please click the button in the left hand corner. If you feel like flaming, please click the afore mentioned button. Just anything, please.**

**Thanks again!**

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	2. Big Change

_**Change**_

—Six Days Ago—

They continued to gawp, tickin' me off a bit. "Not helpin' guys."

Leo was the first to snap outta it. "Oh right. Sorry Raph. It's just that… well…"

"_Are_ you Raph?" Mikey asked, scratchin' at his head, "Because well, we can't be too sure you know. With all the things that's gone with the Shredder…"

"Mikey, right now, I'm stuck under a blanket with skin that ain't green, my mask that doesn't fit me, an' hands that got more than three fingers. Tick me off a little more, an' I swear I'll knock your head so hard you'll have a dent there for the rest of the year."

Mikey gawped again, an' gave his trademark girly shriek. "_Augh_! It's really Raph! What happened to ya bro? You're not going to turn psycho on us will you? Oh Raph… I've gotta give you a hug before you totally _go_!"

He swan dived me and grabbed my neck in a hug that was way too tight an' close for comfort. I pushed him away half disgusted, mutterin', "Yeah. I'll be the first to get ya Mikey."

"But Raph… what _happened_?" Leo asked, kneelin' on the other side a' me. "You looked fine yesterday. I mean, this… it's uh… well, it's uh…" he rubbed his chin, lookin' for the right words.

I gave it ta him. "Freaky."

He pointed an' said, "Right."

"So, Don." I said, lookin' over Master Splinter's an' Leo's shoulders, "Ya think ya can fix it?"

Mr. Brains snapped to focus an' said, "Let's get you in the lab, quickly."

I didn't budge. I told him with my head about the blanket. He got the hint.

Can't believe he smiled though. "Right. Let's get you those clothes from Casey's last visit, shall we?"

Mikey laughed inta his hands, which I intended to bruise later with my foot at trainin'.

I gotta say, bein' two sizes smaller than Casey, as Mikey put it, was 'a real long drag'. I had ta roll up the stupid cuffs a' the trousers four times before I could chase 'im around. Damn it, they were really in the way…

The hair on my head kept brushin' into my eyes, stingin' an' annoyin' me ta shell. Even with my mask back on, they knew where ta jab. The new fingers felt like they couldn't lift up a sai without breakin'. The change from three to five was a big one; I couldn't control 'em.

Walkin' I could handle. The toes gave the same balance as my old ones but without my shell weighin' me down, I couldn't find my balance. Damn Bishop an' his stupid experiments…!

We all shoved inta Don's lab, an' I wondered how the brainiac could work here. The place was covered in metal. Scrap wire, scrap engines, scrap everythin'. There was hardly any space ta stand. Sure it was definitely better than Mikey's room (I'm never, ever goin' in there again even if it meant my life) but… how could he spend hours on end in here? He has _got_ to get out more…

"Sit here, Raph, while I go get the First Aid kit."

Geez, the chair must've bin the only place that was clear a' all this junk…

"Are you feeling alright, Raph?"

"I'm fine, Leo."

I didn't enjoy bein' stabbed with a syringe, though. The skin was softer an' it hurt a lot more. An' did Donnie really need ta take that much? There must've bin a cup full by the time he finished. But I guess it was better than bein' dissected…

Yeah. Much better.

"Okay. I'll be scanning your blood right now, so could you wait outside? I'll need space for this."

Space. Right. Tell that ta your wires, Don.

"Raph, are you _sure_ you feel okay?"

"Yeah. I _am_."

Okay so I could get the whole 'worried about brother turnin' into monster' scenario Leo was probably thinkin' 'bout, but I was just barely handlin' it as it was; maybe if he'd just lay off and stopped annoyin' me, then maybe I'd be less ticked off. But Mikey was definitely the most annoyin'. Every time he got close, he poked me. Poked like I was a piece a' pizza that'd taken an overly long holiday in the cupboard. He kept comin' back like a fly too. How many swattin's did he need to start learnin'!?

"Good news and bad news, Raph." Great. Just had to have the bad news. An' right when I was enjoyin' myself puttin' Mikey through my special headlock move, too.

"Say it Don, I'm a little busy here!"

"Oxygen… must… have… air…!"

Squirm all ya want, Mikey. Squirm all ya want...

"Okay." He looked kinda sorry for Mikey, but I guess he knew that the little bozo deserved what he was gettin'. He swivelled in his chair, lookin back at the screen an' at the weird picture that kept spinnin' in it. "Good news: The secondary mutation, as far as I can see, isn't harmful. Its reaction wasn't positive, but definitely wasn't negative. We don't have to confine you in a canister like you guys had to do with me." he gave out a nervous laugh. Ugh… just _had_ ta bring that up. "Bad news: despite the second mutation being relatively harmless, it's influenced your turtle DNA. The mutagen that affected you acted repulsively to the TCRI ooze. It altered each others simulations, making it easier for your original DNA to fall apart, but harder to alter the first mutation. In other words, it's diluted the turtle part of you."

"Say what?"

"Owowowowow! Raph, mercy! I'll be good, I swear!"

"Let him go, Raph."

I growled, wantin' to rough Mikey up a little more, but goin' against Leo in front a' Master Splinter… not the greatest idea. I sighed an' let him go, tossin' him to the floor. I had my fun, at least. "Yeah, yeah, whatever… Don, say that again."

He looked back at the screens an' frowned. "Let's just say your turtle DNA's a shell you find on the beach. The utrom ooze made it smaller, and changed its colour to become like us. What Bishop's DNA did was that it made the shell even smaller, but it didn't change the colour. See for yourselves."

We crowded round big time, lookin' for what Donnie was pointin' out. On the computer screen there were two tower things with lots a colours. Must be the DNA structure Donnie was talkin' about. On one of 'em, half of it was green an' yellow with everythin' else. The other one had half as much green, replaced with red, with the same amount a' yellow. "This one's me right now, huh."

"Yep."

I looked at him an' asked, "Don't you find it weird that everythin's made outta these flimsy twisties?"

He grinned kinda guiltily. "I find it rather fascinating, actually. Although Bishop's been putting me off of Biology for a while…"

"Can it be fixed?" Master Splinter asked beside Leo, an' for once I was. I was thinkin' the same thing. I wanted outta this stupid body. Heh, I guess that was how Professor Honeycutt felt like…

"Yeah. It can. With Raph's sample of Mutagen and Leatherhead's help, I think we can batch up a reversal serum in a couple of weeks."

"Weeks!? You've gotta be kiddin' me Don you've gotta…"

"Raphael!"

I shut my trap. Master Splinter was glarin' big time. Damn… "Raphael. Donatello is working hard for you. I understand that you are going through hard times, but you must appreciate the help you are given; no matter how long the solution would take to acclaim. And as the great warrior and sage Koyomi Sakamura once said, 'Patience will reward thee the greatest gifts'."

"I know, I know… sorry Don. It's just that…"

He was smilin'. "You're being you. Only a lot more edgy than usual. Apology accepted."

I returned the favour. "Thanks."

"Now. Let's have a look at you bodily and see how much turtle's left in you. Take the shirt off."

I was glad to, even though Mikey was snickerin' his oxygen away. I'll deal with him later…

Everybody looked at my back an' gawped.

"Oh, you guys are makin' me feel real better now with yer starin'. _Real _better."

"Sorry." Don shook his head, lookin' at my back again from his chair, "It's just that… if any human saw this, they're going to ask you _a lot_ of questions."

"_What?_ What's on my back!?"

"The scutes of the carapace…"

"The scwats of the cara-whatsit?"

"Carapace is the shell on your back. The scutes are the patterns on it; also know as epidermis. There were some traces of it left in your DNA. It's… well, it's…"

"It looks like a chocolate chip cookie." Mikey said, tickin' me off. I guess he was bein' honest an' all an' I appreciated that, but I didn't enjoy bein' compared ta _bakery_. "The patterns of the shell's been left behind like birthmarks! Only it isn't random; it actually _looks_ like a shell. Cool!"

"And Don," Great. Now fearless leader's got somethin' ta say. Just… _great_. "isn't his shoulder bones sticking out a bit…? Compared to Casey, anyway."

I was sick of bein' stared at by then, so I'd put the shirt back on as Donnie did that trade-mark hum of his. "That's his Scapula, or shoulder blade, I guess. By the looks of things it is sticking out more compared to an average human, and probably larger by the looks of things. I think that's another part of the carapace's traits. He should have some of his plastron—front shell, if you're wondering—left too, in his ribs and collar bone. And Raph, how does the room feel to you?"

"The same."

"You're still cold blooded, then. If a human was in here, I think they'd consider it a little stuffy, if not warm. Your eyes are still brown so I'm guessing the pigments were changed only on your skin… although I have no idea why your hair ended up black instead of green… and… that's about it. The rest has thinned out so much you can hardly see it; both micro-physically and bodily. This'll take me a while to fix…"

"I don't care, Don. As long as you can fix it."

"But guys… what's to fix?" Mikey asked, makin' me for a second wonder if his brain went crumblin' down his neck, "I mean, look at him. He looks like a Half-Japanese guy that's got a Brooklyn accent! He doesn't need a disguise to head topside! No shadow treading, no keeping your guard up, no screaming when somebody looks at you! You can go shopping without a trench coat! Speaking of shopping…" he grinned, "Klunk needs his pet-food and ow, _ow_!"

"Not funny, Mikey." Leo growled, havin' bopped him over the head with Don pullin' at his mask. Sweet. "The last time Bishop did this, Donnie almost… almost…" his face was contorted in rage, an' Mikey shrunk under. Wow.

"Leo, it's okay." Don said, calmin' him down, "His DNA, thankfully, isn't crumbling in any sort of way. It's stable, therefore he won't… there won't be any risks like last time. He won't be in need of a cure. Well, _desperately_, anyway."

He looked at Mr. Brains as if he'd gone bonkers—yeah, that'll be the day. Famous Donatello losin' his mind over stuff like Bishop—before lettin' out a drained sigh, rubbin' at his head.

"We'll help you recover, Raph." Leo said, puttin' his hand on my shoulder. There goes Fearless, makin' promises he doesn't even know he can keep. It was so good to have bros like these guys…

"Great. Now help me train; I'm gonna have ta use this stupid body for the next couple a' weeks, right?"

—Present—

I cringed an' looked around, hopin' nobody was lookin' "Come again?"

The African-American gal grinned, her shaded specs glintin' as she pushed 'em up her nose. "How does it feel to be a new-comer? What school did you go to before you came to Manchester high? What're your hobbies? Interests? Favourite sports? Age? How would you describe…"

"An' you're askin' this because…?"

She took off her specs and looked at me like I was senile or somethin'. "It's tradition of the school. We Newspaper agents pick up all sorts of stuff from the school. Gossip, the week's fashion, school reports, and the occasional new kid. The new kid's are always the front page when they're here. And _you're_ the new kid for today, so what do you have to tell the school?"

You've gotta be kiddin' me. A News reporter in the _school_? These guys were worse than the Federation an' the Triceratons put together for us! An' the details April used to get me in here; I couldn't remember 'em. I mean, c'mon. What d'you expect? I wasn't intendin' ta bump inta news reporters or anythin'.

I was so, so, screwed.

"So? What do you have to say?" she asked eagerly, lickin' at her pencil tip.

Calm, Raph. Just like Master Splinter said. Calm. "Nothin'."

Wow. Talk about disappointment. "_Nothing_?"

"Yeah. I've gotta go. Still haven't got used ta this school." Not that I _wanted_ ta get used to it or nothin'.

The good-old turtle-balance came back with the back-pack, stuffed with all kinds a' stuff. Mostly books. I would've put in some spare parts from home an' left it at that, but the authorities hadn't bin happy 'bout it. Just leavin' my sai at April's was hard. Errrgh…

Ya know, I never really thought 'bout humans our age. The guys we met (Purple Dragons mostly) tended ta be older by at least two years, so… kinda surprisin' seein' so many of 'em in just one spot. Seriously. The corridors were packed with these guys. And that I was the newest thing brought attention that a ninja didn't appreciate…

Gotta talk ta April. If everybody 'round here was nosey as that gal, I needed ta remember all the stuff April made up for me. Just comin' from Brooklyn ain't gonna cut it. Now where is that thing… ah, good old Donnie. Right in the side pocket. Heh, I don't know how y'can change an MP3 into a communicator, but I think I didn't care. Now, somewhere shadowy… this oughta do. Nice indent in the wall, a pillar to my side, an' all out view of everyone else in case somebody got too close. Sweet.

Okay. Turnin' it on was one thing. Callin' April was somethin' else. Errgh… disguisin' this thing is a good idea, I know, but did Don really hafta make the contacts song names!? How was I supposed to know which one was April?

…Cowabunga Carl?

I guess I had no choice, huh.

The phone clicked. "Mikey… hey Mikey…?"

"Raph! Hey howya doing? Why the sudden call? Did you miss me?"

Yeah. Way ta go Mikey. I think ya just busted my ears. If anyone heard that… damn it was there any point with my whisperin' when that goof-ball was makin' all that noise on the other side? "Hey Mikey. Ya think ye can do me a favour?"

I could hear the video games screamin' in the background. "Yeah… sure wazzup? You… comin' home to fix the 'human-factor' by the way?"

I grimaced. "Shell yeah. This place is a dump; can't wait to get back ta the lair. Anyway, can ya tell April that I need the stupid papers she filled in for the cops? I gotta nosey kid on my back."

"Yeah, sure. Hey, have they got a games room or something?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's the last thin' they intend ta get, Mikey."

He must've frozen in shock or somethin', because there was a massive crash on the other side an' a cheeky voice was sayin' '_Game over_'. I turned the communicator off with a 'see ya' before Mikey really broke my ear drums with his wail a' misery.

Ninja senses kicked in; I spun an' hauled at the shirt of the kid behind the pillar, makin' sure he couldn't get away. "Alright, punk you better have a real good… what the shell are _you_ doin' here!? You sneakin' on me or somethin'?"

It was the damn reporter chick.

She looked kinda freaked, but I guess that was because she didn't expect me to move so fast. But what caught _my_ eye more was the hand tape she had on _record_.

Crud.

"Who's Mikey? You'll get in trouble for having a cell-phone…!"

"Did'ya actually see a cell-phone, kid? 'Cause _I_ sure didn't. Now give me that. That conversation ain't for anyone else ta hear."

Master Splinter an' Leo was gonna kill me if they found out that I nearly got caught talkin' ta Mikey. But boy, it's hard takin' the tape from the recorder with just one hand. Especially when ya can't see what you're doin'. But hey, I gotta keep it out of this chick's reach, so can't complain. Just a little more… there. I dropped the tape to the ground an' smashed it under my foot.

I gave the recorder back.

"Next time, be sure ta not get caught." Both her an' me, mind.

I got ready ta go, but I found out that this girl wasn't the type ta quit. "You've got something to hide!"

I glared back. "Have not."

"Then why would you break my tape!? You have a cell-phone, you seem to have a criminal record, and it looks like you've got someone your age that isn't in school, either! If you've got nothing to keep quiet about, why would you hide to do stuff?"

"You won't understand." Bein' one a' us. Bein' _me_. Nobody did.

An' this kid sure wasn't helpin', either. "Oh, don't give me that 'you won't understand' line. It's been used in every newspaper that it just isn't funny anymore. You've got something to hide, Raphael, and I'm going to find out."

Alright, that's it, she was tickin' me off. "Look. I enjoy privacy. My life has got _nothin'_ to do with ya, ya got that? I don't need ta blab about anythin' ta anybody!"

The ringin' that ripped at my ears made me grimace. The bell finally stopped, finished with remindin' me about sirens an' fire-departments that usually hunted us down.

Leo was gonna kill me when he found out I made enemies with a news reporter.

—Five in the Afternoon—

I closed the front door an' climbed up the stairs, gettin' the idea that I had a whole truck on my shell. I rubbed at my head, tryin' ta get ridda the headache, and growled when I touched hair instead a' skin.

Shoulders. Not shell. Hair, not skin. Not green.

"Raph!" I looked up an' saw April on the stairs, a phone in her grip. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't believe she was askin'. "Peachy."

I guess she didn't like my tone. Tch, nobody did. "I was beginning to worry; where have you been all this time? It's five in the afternoon!"

"_Detention_." I can't, can't, _can't_ believe that I was done in by some human teacher! If it wasn't for the 'low profile' rule Master Splinter and the guys put on me, I wouldn'ta done it! How was keepin' me from comin' home gonna get me ta understand what happened in class, anyway? Not that ye can _call_ it class… no balacin' on poles in the dark, no weapons trainin' with the guys, no… no nothin'.

April kinda seemed shocked by the whole detention thing. I didn't see what the big deal was. "But why? You didn't do anything stupid did you?"

"Nah. Just didn't get it when Mr. Know-it-all went on 'bout how the tangent was the same as the… somethin'."

She looked at me weird when I went past her ta get a bowl a' cereal. "You really don't know what's going on, do you."

"Nah." Who cared 'bout it anyway? I didn't need ta know it later.

"Do you need help with your homework?"

But I needed ta know it now. And much as I hated ta admit it… "Yeah."

And ta think the teachers were bein' easy on me 'cause it was the first day…

* * *

**Hi everybody! Thanks for coming all this way in the story! It's been really great writing this and I'd like to thank the following people for their kind deeds.**

**_TheWatcherandReader_, _Random Passerby_, _Scoti_, _Pretender Fanatic,_ _Rianne - ennaiR_ and _mymeselfandi89 _for reviewing.**

**_Pretender Fanatic, Shiny Lights, Warrior Hamsters, artykidd, Rianne - ennaiR, EvilHamsterMasterMind _and for putting me on their alerts list. **

**A special Thanks to _Eridani23_ for putting me on your alerts list and favourites list and reviewing. Thank you!!! XD**

**And I'll reply to the reviews you guys sent me here:**

**_TheWatcherandReader _: Yeah, Raph's been turned Human. At first I was going to change Donnie, but then who's going to think up the reversal serum? Leatherhead can't do it on his own... not to mention it's already happened to him, so yeah. I decided that it was to be Raph. **

**_Eridani23 _: Again, Yes, Raph was turned human. For a second I thought I might make him all spikey and roaring like Donnie only worse, but then I couldn't toy up a story from that, so yeah. Human it is.**

**_Random Passerby _: I will continue vigilentley, I will! It's good to know the sotry looks different. I thought the whole turtle-turning-human thing was becoming a fad, so I decided to join in... heheh. Yay! I know this is unique now! XD**

**_Scoti _: Oh god, so glad you found it interesting; or else why should I even continue:P Anyway, thanks! I'll try to update as soon as I can, despite the fact that I'm banned from writing right now. I only got this chapter up because it was pre-written! (TT).**

**_Pretender Fanatic_ : Yay! Total praise galore! Wooohooo! Yeah, the reason why Raph ends up in school is a pretty sad one, and I got the idea from a book, so not quite sure if it's supposed to work, but yeah! He has his reasons to be there, so don't worry, no randomness applied. You seemed a little uncertain in the review so I'm going to say I'm sorry if I confused you, and I'll just say in this chapter it was Raph's first day, and Leo, Don and Mikey were checking up on Raph to make sure he was okay, despite Leo being really uncomfortable being in broad-daylight and disobeying Splinter's strictest rule. Thankyou so much for such a long review! You deserved a long reply so here it is!**

**_Rianne - ennaiR _: Glad you did.**

**_memyselfandi89_ : I'm glad you thought so. Yeah, I noticed that, but hopefully you're right, and I keep putting up a good job. And Yes. Raph is definitely going to cause some trouble. Right from chapter 2!**

**Thanks again, everyone! And if you have any questions queries problems or requests, please click the little button on the left hand side of the screen. Or, if you have any arguments complaints or perhaps even flames, please click the afore mentioned button. I welcome all.**

**Thanks again for reading!**

**S.S.**


	3. Fine Adjustments

_**Adjustments**_

—Four days ago—

I shifted the bag full a' nothin' on my shoulder, holdin' the shoppin' bags carefully before leavin' the store. I kept my eyes down an' hid my face under the cap, an' kept my hands outta sight. My heart was poundin'. Nobody'd caught me. Nobody'd thought anythin' of me. I really looked like… what I looked like.

I didn't know whatta feel.

Okay, shock was a start. Just like April, an' Casey an' Leatherhead an' Professor Honeycutt. They thought I was someone else too, but they recognised me from my or voice or somethin'. Or just the way I snapped for bein' called 'kid'. Just glad I didn't need ta explain again about what happened.

What blew me was that they thought Mikey had a good idea. _Mikey_ had a _good_ _idea_. I thought the Triceraton thing was a fluke, but… was Mikey really developin' a brain? I thought the day wouldn't come.

Anyway if these guys wanted to be, they could be really, _really_ pushy. The guys insisted that I go topside for a stroll, Casey went an' came back with clothes from when he was a kid so I could use 'em, April chased me around with a pair a' scissors to cut my hair, an' Mikey _especially_ wanted me out 'cause Klunk wanted his food. Even Master Splinter said that I should look around while I still had the chance.

"This is a blessing in a curse, my son. You must learn to adapt to these changes, and enhance your ninja skills. A quick walk in central park will do you some good."

I had ta promise ta go, if I wanted weapons trainin'.

An' that was why I was out in the sun, shoppin' for three days' worth a' food. I wasn't causin' any sort a trouble, an' just bein' a normal person, walkin' back home to get my trainin' done. I really, really needed to get used to five fingers…

"You. Young man."

And that was when turtle luck was bein' true to its damn form. "Huh?"

It was a cop I was starin' at. Damn it, why did I hafta be seen by the likes a' this guy? Yeah, sure they were the good guys on topside, but they were friggin' useless! Besides, if I was still a turtle, I bet he would've bin' the first ta take me ta scientists, or shoot me. But that depended on how chicken he was. "Hey officer."

He frowned; guessed he didn't like my tone. "Kindly empty that back-pack."

I blinked. "… huh?"

He frowned deeper. "You teenagers are pesky now-a-days. Have to make sure you haven't lifted anything from that store."

I thought he was jokin'. Me. Liftin' from a store. We didn't do that even if we were completely desperate for food. We'd had to scavenge stuff from the dumps all over the place, but we never stole. There was no honour in that; Master Splinter taught us hard on that one. But the look on his face said that he was serious. I had no choice but to give him my stuff.

Now I wasn't kiddin' when I said my bag was full a' nothin'. Odd bits a' plaster an' rock from the lair, the old remote that didn't work anymore, a wooden pole that used to be a dummy before Leo snapped it with his sword, an' a crumbly quarter of a weight I'd broken while doin' gym work. The weight my shell used to give me was gone; an' that really, really bugged me. I had ta weigh myself down, an' those were the first things that I could grab.

An' I wasn't enjoyin' watchin' a human lookin' through it; cop or not.

He gave it back ta me after checkin' the receipt with the stuff I got from the store. Now all I had to do was get to an unoccupied alley, get down to the sewers an' get home for trainin'. After a full day of practicin' I was gettin' better with the five finger factor, an' couldn't wait to start usin' my sai. Notta mention I wanted my mask back. It felt like I'd lost the skin around my eyes or somethin'.

I turned to go. "Wait a minute, son."

I winced at him callin' me son, an' at how he'd stopped me from goin' home. "Yeah?"

"I still need to take you to the station."

He had ta be kiddin' me. "…What. … Why!?"

"You're not at school, that's why, kid. It's a Thursday afternoon at twelve o'clock. You shouldn't be out, despite it being lunch break."

I'd gawped like I'd never gawped before. School!?

I still couldn't believe it when he took me ta the nearest police station. I _still_ couldn't believe it when he took all my stuff and sat me in front'ova desk way inta the station. They were cops, weren't they!? I thought they didn't pick on good guys like me! I thought lookin' like them would make a difference, but no. They still pick on the green skinned guy. I _knew_ comin' outside was a bad idea!

Grrh… this was like the first time with Hun an' the invisible ninjas all over again! But instead a' questions like 'Who do you work for?' 'Which planet did you come from?' 'How far has your technology gone?' an' stuff like that, the bozo kept askin' 'bout _contacts_ an' _addresses_ an' _parents' occupation_ an' _which school I went to_ an' my _age_. Boy I would've loved to see his face if I'd told him everythin'… notta mention the face when I punched him right in the gut before he decided whether I was lyin' or not…

"So, son, what's your name?"

I growled. "Don't call me son."

The sucka didn't know what hit 'im. "Eh?"

"I ain't your son, so don't call me that."

He grinned. Damn it, I shouldn't've said anythin'… "You even have parents?"

This guy was really, really tickin' me off…! "'Course I do!"

Yeah, I decided ta shut up alright, but I ain't denyin' that I had a parent. Sensei an' my bros were the only guys that understood. They were the only guys I could be myself around without bein' screamed at. I ain't gonna lie about 'em. They were my family. _Family_.

An' nobody gets away with sayin' they don't exist.

He glared right back at me, an' I got the feelin' that he wanted ta slam-gut me too. Well, bring it on, ya-

"Boy… you better start talking soon, or we'll put matter into our own hands…"

_Boy_!? Alright that's _it_!

Somethin' began ta ring. It wasn't the chair I knocked over, or the desk I'd slammed my fist against. It kept ringin' an' the ringin' was comin' from my pocket.

_Crud_.

It was the shell-cell. Donnie was gonna kill me if a human saw it. Without really thinkin' I turned it off without takin' it out. I think I crushed it by accident. Okay if that was the case, I broke the only thin' that connected me with my bros. But they'd traced a broken cell before. They'll know where to find me when the lights go out.

The cop in fronta me looked interested. "Was that a cell-phone?"

"No."

He didn't look too happy with my fib. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Look I gotta go. Those groceries ain't gonna put themselves in the fridge, ya know that right?"

He looked unhappier. "You won't be leaving until you answer at least _some_ of our questions, young man. Kindly co-operate, and you will leave quickly and without fuss. You may start by handing me your cell-phone to see who tried to contact you."

I had enough a' this. I was gonna leave. Period.

If a whole swarm a' men-in-blue weren't startin' ta grab me from all sides, that is.

"Get off a' me, ya psychos! I wanna leave an' I wanna leave _now_!"

Fightin' off cops would be so, so, so _easy _if I could just let myself knock 'em out or somethin'! But no. No treatin' cops nicely like we usually do with Foot ninjas, unless we really wanna be found out by freak-hunters. If only I could at least _punch_ one of 'em!

Pain lashed at the back of my knees, an' I fell to the floor, groanin'. Whoever did that … I'm gonna get 'im so hard, he was gonna wish he never went on duty today! I jumped up an' tried punchin' one of 'em, but turns out, I wasn't the only one who'd spent time in a dojo. I was forced to the floor again (_again_!) an' then on the chair, hands cuffed behind the back an' my left foot cuffed to the leg. More questions. Grrh… this was like the first time with Hun an' the invisible ninjas all over again!

"Now I will ask this again: What's your name, son?"

Calm, Raph, calm. Just like Master Splinter said. Just like the other time with Hun. Keep yer cool. "If I was yer son, why don't ya know my name?"

Oh yeah. _So _gonna enjoy this.

"… Where do you live, young man?"

I tried notta laugh. "I'm _young_, mista. Don't know where my house is."

He growled, angry an' frustrated, puttin' his hands in the air like he wanted ta strangle me or somethin'. "Who'd let a boy like you walk around the streets!?"

Ah, the good old days. "Yer mamma."

He roared an' I laughed. That ticked him off more an' his friends came along ta keep 'im down. After that, nobody interrupted me for a while. Now all I had to do was wait for night to come. If I couldn't bust outta this by the time the sun went down, I was sure the bros would come. Or Casey. Whatever.

I got comfortable an' snoozed.

"Raph!"

I woke up coughin', growlin' about Mikey wakin' me up early again. When I felt the kinks in my spine an' neck, I remembered the cops. Damn cops…

Wow, wait. "_April_? Wadda ya doin' here?"

"I'm busting you out." She said, hittin' me upside the head. Ow… maybe I should stop doin' that to Mikey. I looked at 'er again and decided that I was lucky. She didn't seem too ticked off, and it would've bin a bad, bad idea if Casey'd come. Bein' a bone-head an' a vigilante at the same time wasn't a good combination fer talkin' ta the police, ya know?

She leaned on one leg an' put a hand to her hip. "Did you really attack a police officer?"

I shook the sleep outta my head. "It was self defence, April. They wouldn't let me out."

She sighed miserably an' buried her face in her hand. The cops looked at us an' I glared, makin' 'em turn away. Guess they expected April to say somethin' 'bout bein' reasonable an' all that to me, but she understood. Nobody else did. "What did you do to get in here?"

"Nothin'! I was shoppin' an' a creep decided that I was liftin' stuff. Then he goes on about school! You know I don't go ta school, right April?"

"Yeah… yeah, he doesn't." she turned to the cops, who'd brought up his little black book. Ya know, they kinda looked cool in the movies, but I guess that was because it wasn't me that they were usin' it on. "He did home schooling."

He scribbled it down an' asked, "What sort of relation do you have with… him?"

She looked at me. I shrugged. All up to her, now. "He's… my cousin's son. He's staying with me."

He scribbled it down. "And you did the home schooling, Miss April?"

"No, his father did."

"He's from Brooklyn, yes?"

"Brooklyn? I've never bin' there." I told him, an' he glared right back.

"You have the accent, young man. Don't try to lie."

I ain't lyin'! I mayhap went there when huntin' down Purple Dragons or Foot fungus, but that was all. There ain't much of a chance to be there out in the open when you're a teenage mutant ninja turtle… or… used to be…

April said hastily, "Yeah. He's from Brooklyn. His parents are going to move to… um… Toronto, so he's staying with me until they've settled. He's going to move there soon too, so they pulled him out of schooling for the time being…"

"Well that's not acceptable, I'm afraid." The cop interrupted, makin' me growl. I struggled against the cuffs an' swore, but the cop totally ignored me! "He has to go to school as long as he's staying, ma'am. He can go home for now, but I'll need his details. Do you mind filling it in? Your relative here doesn't seem too keen on co-operating."

April glanced at me, an' I felt a little guilty about her worry. Shouldn'ta bin' stupid. Shouldn'ta lost control… "He won't be charged for police assault, will he?"

"_What!?_"

The damn cop glared again. Why I oughta wipe that look off yer face ye stupid…! "We won't press charges, madam. He _was_ taken in unprovoked, and he was quite willing to co-operate till he got here, so no harm done. Now if you'll please step this way, and I'll have Joe un-cuff you… Raph, was it?"

"Raphael." I growled, refusin' to be called by a name I only let my family call me by.

The cop didn't say anythin'. I shoved the others away as soon as they got rid of the cuffs, grabbin' the bag an' groceries. The milk was prob'ly off.

"Raph, wait. I… think you should meet this guy."

"_Now_ what April?"

"Uh… he's the man I had to talk to once I filled out your details." She gestured towards a short, squat guy that reminded me a' Japanese dumplings. _Mochi_. He definitely had the skin tone for it. He wore a dark suit that reminded me a' accountants.

He held out a fat an' dry hand. "My name is Edward Jekyll. I'm a School inspector, and I'd like you to fill in some details to get you into Manchester High."

"…What."

"You need schooling boy," he huffed and dropped his hand, "And until you're legally sixteen years old, I'm afraid it's compulsory for you to get some teaching. School inspectors like myself make sure children like you go to school, and stay there till legally necessary."

"And… if I don't _wanna_ go?"

He frowned. "I'll have the police at my heels next time I see you to make sure you _want _to go."

I hate cops. It's official.

—Day Two—

Second day in, and I still didn't know what the shell the teachers were ramblin' on about. When did the _alphabet_ get involved in _math_? Numbers was hard enough! An' I can't believe they want me to do science. _Science_ for cryin' out loud! I was stuck in this shape because of that damn thing! The teachers were gettin' ta the idea I didn't have a bloody _clue_ ta what was goin' on, and that. was. _bad_.

"Oh, forgive me dear, I didn't see you."

That caught my attention. The old lady that got bumped on the side was apologizin' ta thin air, because the bozo that bumped into her was runnin' like crazy in my direction. He kept his head down, face under the cap, and shoulders hunched as he dived through the crowd. He was holdin' somethin' in his hands.

An' I bet it didn't belong ta him.

He ran right beside me, an' I grabbed at the back of his shirt, pullin' him into an alley close by. This guy was toast. "Yo. Whatcha got there, punk? Don't you think that purse is a little too grown up for ya?"

He tried ta get away. "Let me go!"

By my guess he was maybe two, three years older'en me. But he had this pathetic voice that said that it was his first go at this kinda thin'. Probably wanted ta show off ta some gang. But boy, was his kicks _weak_.

"Oh." I was goin' ta enjoy this. "I don't think so."

I said hello ta the good old alley. Its shadows swallowed us, an' we got ta business.

_Bim baff bop bam bip bash groan…_

Way too easy.

Ya know, it was good doin' stuff we did all the time an' get appreciated for it for once. Especially after such a bad day. I picked up the purse an' walked out the alley, catchin' old lady that had her hair tied up on a bun from the crowd. She had one hand holdin' a kid's shoulder, the other holdin' a stick. A face that I knew and appreciated.

I felt even better. "Hey, Mrs M! You remember me?"

The lady looked my way, her eyes seein' nothin', but everythin'. "Why, is that you, Raphael? How nice to see you! How long was it since you last visited me? Lucy has missed you, I think."

I rubbed at my head and got a little annoyed with the damn hair. "Heh, sorry. Here, you dropped this when that guy hit you by accident." I held her hand an' put the purse in it, an' she held it gratefully.

"Oh, thank you dear. Oh you haven't met my Grandson yet. Introduce yourself dear; go on."

I looked down a bit an' saw a kid that was almost a teenager, average height. Blonde haired an' hazel eyed…I think I'd seen him before but I don't know… wait a sec.

…_Crud_. "Hi, my name's James."

"Raphael." Keep calm, keep calm… don't lose it here…

The guy lowered an eyebrow at me. "Are you on steroids?"

"James!"

I forced out a laugh. It was kinda pathetic. "Nah… trainin'. On weights."

He just said, "Wow."

Mrs M looked unhappy 'bout James on the drug comment, but I didn't mind, really. Nice that somebody notices the muscle, sometimes. But Mrs M. seemed like she wanted ta make up for it. "Raphael why don't you come home with my grandson and I, have some tea and biscuits? I'd like to catch up with you, and I'm sure James wouldn't mind some company."

I shook my hand, glad that she asked but knowin' I couldn't go. No angry villagers with pitchforks an' flaming torches ta keep me this time. An' notta mention I really, _really_ need ta speak with the guys… "Aw, thanks, Mrs M. But I gotta get home an' do my homework an' I've got a… a medical appointment. But I think I can come over tomorrow, or the day after. If ya don't mind, that is."

"Oh of course not. I think you can come along tomorrow. Yes, that would be very nice. See you then, Raphael."

I hope the kid doesn't notice that I'm _itching_ ta leave… "Yeah. See you then, Mrs M. You too James."

They both turn and he waved back. "See ya."

I watched 'em go, before walkin' as casually as I could from the scene, my chest hurtin' because my heart was workin' so hard. Take it easy, take it easy… yeah, _right_. I needed to get to an alley! Away from people where I could talk to my bros, tell 'em what I just saw…! Back ta the alley I go.

The punk was gone. Good. I needed privacy right about now. I jumped into the shadows, putting on the MP3 an' punchin' in Cowabunga Carl.

He was playin' hip-hop in the background when he answered. "Hey Raph, why are-"

"Mikey you know the kids we found in that fight last week with Bish? I found one of 'em."

I heard him fall off whatever he was sittin' on, screamin'. "Say what!? Wouldn't that mean Bishop's keeping an eye on that kid?"

"Yeah. I say we need ta keep an eye on 'im too. He might know Bish's hideout." I make sure nobody's watchin' me from the alley mouth. Coast's clear.

"Wow wait, if the kid really knows Bishop's hideout, wouldn't that mean the E.P.F. is after him?"

Just the thought makes me wanna punch somethin'. "If that happens, we bang their sorry heads together. _Big_ time, no mercy. I'm checkin' up on 'im tomorrow; I'll explain everthin' at the lair, Mike. See ya then."

I hung up an' looked around the concrete and found a manhole. It was definitely convenient, but… I checked the humans out again. Nobody was lookin'; an' I _needed_ ta get back as fast as I could! We were talkin' 'bout Mrs M.'s grandson here!

I slid it open and jumped in, not hearin' the click of a camera. I never considered that if anyone heard my side a' the conversation, they'd get the wrong idea. I was a ninja; nobody eavesdrops on a ninja, right? Right.

Wrong.

* * *

**Hello readers, and thankyou for coming to chapter number three! Sorry nothing much happened in this chapter, but I needed to make the reason why Raphie-boy was in School clear. I really do hope you like it; tell me how you feel by reveiwing!**

**Anyway...**

**I'd like to say thankyou to...**

**_MTAngeli_ and _TigerChickTigriss_ for adding me onto your alert lists and reviewing. **

**A special thanks to _MTAngeli_ for putting me on her C2!!! EEEEE!!!! XD**

**And now the review replies.**

**_TheWactherandReader:_ Oh, you have no idea how hard it is writing in first person's perspective, but I'm glad it's paying off! You don't know how much yuor praise means to me. Thanks for putting in the first review! Yay!**

**_MTAngeli_: Heheh. Yeah, turning human's one thing, but putting him in school is another, eh? But honestly, if I hadn't read Darren shan and how he got stuck in school (despite him being a vampire) I would never have thought this plot up. Not to mention this damn story. Heheh. Thankyou so much for your kind words, I hope this chapter was up to standard!**

**_Rianne - ennaiR_: Yay! Good to know. As you have red, indeed, Raph has a reason for being in school! You see, i hate stories that have some random/far-fetched reason for things happening. I had to have a proper reason Raph was getting educated, and here it is! I hope it's realistic enough... Anyway, I find it almost my duty to reply to reviews; you spend time reading and reviewing, why shouldn't I read and reply?**

**_TigerChickTigriss_: Heheh. I hope this chapter answered your question.**

**_Eridiani23_: Thankyou for your enthusiasm! Sorry for not updating in such a long time; I've been banned from writing and I only managed to post this chapter up through sneaking, staying up late, and going to the library to do my typing. It's really hard... (T.T)**

**_kytyngurl2_ Part1: Thankyou so much for your compliment! I got the slow process thing from Donnie's mutation, and how sick he felt when he was undergoing some genetic referbishing. I just made my process quicker for story reasons. I'm really glad you thought my characters were all accurate; now I'll reply to your second review.**

**kytyngurl2 Part2: Thanks again! Butwhat's IC? Yeah, the reaction part was really hard; I had to go on Youtube and see how they always reacted to bad news. Sheesh, I can be such a moron at times... anyway, YES! The reporter has the reader worried! Oh, you have no idea how much of a neusance I'm going to make her to Raph... heheh.**

**Thank you so much, people who have read and most importantly, reviewed! **

**P.S. This chapter was brought to you by sneaking, staying up into the night without my parents knowing, and sheer determination and obssession. Only due to the fact that this chapter was pre-written that I was able to post this up, despite my ban from the computer. On this note, I would like to say that the next chapter would most likely be coming in another 6-7 weeks. 5 if lucky. If two months without update passes, please start worrying. Thankyou!**

**Enjoy your day,**

**S.S.**


	4. Seriously Busted

_**Seriously Busted**_

—Three days ago—

"You've got to be kidding me."

For your information, Leo, that was exactly what _I_ wanted ta say.

"Yeah, Raph. Great way to ruin movie night." Mikey rolled his eyes, stuffin' popcorn inta his face. "I was looking forward to this Friday, you know. We were going to watch all six movies of Star Wars!"

I pointed my sai at him, shuttin' him up. "I ain't the one who kept buggin' me ta go topside ta buy stuff. An' I didn't do anythin' ta get that cop on my back."

"Except walk around in broad daylight on a Thursday afternoon. Which, unfortunately, is our fault, so we really can't go blame Raph on this. Besides, what's done is done."

I spun on Donnie, panickin' for once. "Are ye sayin' that I hafta _survive_ it!? None of us'd gone to school before; ya _know_ I don't know half of the stuff they're doin' there!?"

"You need full education on High-school life. Which," Mikey jumped off the couch an' slung his arm over my shoulder, tickin' me off, "is easy. We've got all the high-school movies you could ever want! You don't know how many T.V. shows are based around this topic. Okay, first, the types of students that go there. There's the Goths…"

"Mikey, I don't think the movies would be great sources for information. They exaggerate everything in them; even the Kung-fu movies." For once, I had to agree with Don. I slung Mikey off before I could get hurt with his waving at the wise-guy.

"Do _not_ diss the Kung-fu movies! And they're not exaggerated; they're only being reinforced of their mightiness!"

"Look, guys," Leo said, calmin' the guys down, "We're going no where. What we need is a way to get Raph through several days of school without getting detected for who he is. So, I think they're things we need to practice."

I'd cocked an eye-ridge. "Like what?"

"Like getting used to five fingers. Walking around topside without flinching for the shadows, without walking around with your sai, without your mask. You're going to have to re-teach yourself how to write by the time we get to Monday, while we sort out with April and Casey about your clothes, books, and other necessary equipment for you."

They had to be kiddin' me. They weren't gonna bust me out!? I looked at Master Splinter, an' he shook his head an' said, "Adaptation is one of the key skills of a Ninja, Raphael."

I won't bother goin' over the weekend. It was too horrible. It was the worst weekend a turtle could ever hafta live through; especially when it ended up in me gettin' another haircut from April, trussed up in a red an' white jacket an' shirt an' tracksuit-pants an' sneakers burrowed from Casey an' several dumpsters. _Without _my sai an' mask.

School, is shell on earth.

—Day Two—

"You _what_!?"

Augh, shell…

"I can't believe this!" he paced up an' down Don's lab, rubbin' at his head, "It's just your second day into school, and you've actually made enemies with a _reporter_!? Raph, of all the things you could've done…"

"Hey Fearless!" He was really tickin' me off with his shoutin'. "Right now that's the least a' our problems! 'Cause if Mikey hasn't told ye yet, we've got one a' the kids from the labs in the neighbourhood! An' he's Mrs M's grandson! The _last _thing that kid would be doin' is forgettin' all 'bout it!"

"And as a matter of fact, that goes for Bishop too." Don said, sittin' back in his chair, sighin', "Since his work is part of the Government, he wasn't supposed to take kids into the whole affair. But now that he has, I think he's intent on taking the little guy down, along with the others."

"And you know," Mikey added from the floor, Klunk ploddin' round his legs, "If I had a creepy experience like that, I'd stick to the guys that went through it with me. Then I won't be so alone, you know?"

"And that's probably the last thing Bishop wants." Leo was leanin' against the wall as he mumbled, decidin' that lecturin' me right then wasn't such a good idea, "The kids getting together, talking it over, trying to prove their encounter… I bet Bishop's head is gnawing at that possibility like crazy. Knowing that madman, he'll stop them from getting together at any cost and mutate them before they got a chance to talk. But he won't be doing it hands on; he'll be hiring someone else to do it for him."

"Yeah. Someone highly skilled in lethal fighting… has a high name in the criminal underworld…" Don tapped at his knee, knowin' without thinkin' who it would be, but thinkin' it over anyway, in case he was wrong.

"Not to mention someone who's into money and alien blasters and all that evil weaponry _and_ can give a good excuse for the kids disappearing." Mikey added, holdin' a purring Klunk against his chest, strokin' the cat's head.

We all knew who it was. I spat out their name: "Purple Dragons."

"All the more reason to try and protect these kids." Leo declared, standin' from his piece a' wall, "We've been messing with Hun and his Purple Dragons for far too long. We need to end this; starting by helping these kids out. Raph, did you say that you were visiting her?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow afta class."

"Find out from James as much as you can, as casually as you can. Where does he intend to go. Has he made new friends. Anything that might give us a clue to what he might be thinking of doing with Bishop."

"Got it."

Leo sighed an' buried his face in his hands. "I still can't believe you made enemies with a _reporter, _for crying out loud."

Oh, ye just _had_ ta bring it up, didn't ya. Just _had _ta make a big deal out a' it, an' rub it in my face. Does he _like_ tickin' me off!? "You think I _wanted_ ta pick a fight with 'er? She was the one that was buggin' me with the school tradition an' all that crud; I just wanted 'er to leave me alone, an' now she's stuck on me like glue. An' she's worse than _Mikey_."

"I'm right _here_ you know." Goofball complained from the floor, an' Don swivelled in his chair, lookin' a bit sorry but smilin' anyway. For him or me, I had no idea.

"Yeah Raph; you shouldn't be so harsh. Surely this girl can't encompass the almighty annoyingness of our Michelangelo?"

"Hey!"

"Guys! This. is. _serious._" Talk about frantic; he was wearin' the floor down with his pacin'. "Raph, don't you understand the fact that you need to keep a low profile!? What exactly did you do to gain so much attention anyway!?"

"I didn't _do_ nothin'! She came along with her stupid note pad before I could even say a word! Now stop buggin' me about it! I already _know_!" Stop bein' so high'n mighty, stop lecturin' me, _just stop ridin' my shell_!

Mikey was standin' and was smilin' like he was half scared. "Easy there Raph…"

"Easy!? _Easy_!? Ya think the whole school lookin' at yer shell is easy!? Ya think tryin' ta blend in without fittin' in is easy!? Ya think not actin' like a turtle is _easy_!?"

"Raph slow down." now Don was standin' up, offerin' a hand of consolation, or whatever he'd call it, "We won't push it further. You're under a lot of stress; we realise that. But think of it this way; now that you're labelled as the 'uncooperative one', you won't have many humans approach you. There won't be many needs for making up stories; in a way, this reporter's helping us. She's keeping other humans away from Raph."

He glanced at me, then at Leo, and then at me.

"Well?"

Leo lost all his bravo and slumped like a blowfish without air. "Alright, alright… it makes sense. But you still have to keep a low profile Raph. _Lower_ than before, now that you're stuck with a reporter on your back."

I _know_ that already! Just _shut up_! "Code-name Mikey Junior."

"You guys do realise that I'm in full sight, right? And like, only two feet away from you."

"Yeah. An' that's why I'm sayin' it now, doofus. Now come on; I can't believe I'm sayin' this but I wanna train! Or even better kick some scum butt." I grabbed my sai from the table and looked around for my mask. Why ain't it where I left it…?

A certain, pain-in-the-butt ninja that was tryin' ta run undetected caught my eye.

"_Miiiiiikeeeeeeey!!_ Come back here ya little piece a' crack what did'you do ta my mask!?"

Mikey did his trademark scream and went into an all-out sprint. I was after him like a Foot. "Raph! Raph have mercy! I just thought it could use a little bit of embellishing that's all I swear please Sensei already punished me and I cleaned it a-"

"_Splinter_ punished you!? Mikey you have exactly _three seconds_ ta tell me what ya did ta it; _**three seconds!**_"

I never liked orchestras. Still don't. But the one I was listenin' to right now —Mikey's screamin' accompanied by Leo and Don's laughin'— was a kind I wouldn't mind hearin' once in a while.

—Day three—

_Pain_.

"Head! Doesn't count!"

Stupid Dodge ball…! Who threw that anyway!? There… the only guy that looked like he was gonna write his will. I threw the ball right back at 'im, takin' his gut by surprise. The ball bounced away from his carcass, which was moanin' in pain an' bein' surrounded by human flies. Tch. What a wimp. It was a small ball in the stomach, it couldn't be that bad, right?

Ugh… my head… wow…

"Raphael!"

"Yeah?"

"Get to the sickroom; that ball hit you in the temple."

"I'm _fine_ Mister Gannet…" After spendin' over a year fightin' back aliens and ninjas and all that crud you kinda not notice a few headaches after a while.

I tipped, wobbled, an' blood pumped into my skull like bullets. Crud. I say 'crud' because what I'd said just a second ago, only worked when I was a turtle. Ugh… Why did human skulls hafta be so soft!? "Okay, okay, I'm goin' I'm goin'."

"I'll go with him!" oh no, not her… "I bet he doesn't know where it is."

"You're probably right, Simone. Raphael, you're in good hands, now get going."

You've gotta be kiddin' me. This chick's bin chasin' me round all day for details about my damn life! What's my favourite movie? What school did I go to before I came here? Who was Mikey? Where's my cell-phone? Do I have siblings? Where did I come from ethnically (what _was_ ethnically!?)? She had a mouth that didn't know how to shut, an' that ticked me off! But I guess I learned one thing about her…

"So your name's Simone, huh."

Her brown face cracked into a smile as we left the gym/hall. "Yep. Now, could you please tell me what you intend to do after school?"

"No."

She flicked at her brown hair, bobbin' in curls that annoyed me. "Okay, so, what's your hobby? Something that's got to do with heavy stuff? You really have muscle."

My headache was gettin' worse. "You're really tickin' me off, ya know that?"

She rolled her hazel eyes, snortin'. "It seems like everything ticks you off."

"Not _everythin'_." Okay maybe that ain't quite true…

She laughed. We turned a corner. "Guessed as much. But come on; at least tell me your hobby. I _need_ something for the paper."

"I hate papers."

"I guessed that already."

I punched a wall, tryin' to vent my frustration away from her face. I broke a lotta plaster off the wall, an' there was concrete underneath the damage. Blood flowed from my middle knuckle. Stupid weak human skin…"How about… breakin' stuff?"

She got the message; the glare prob'ly helped.

"_An_yway," she pointed towards a door that had a picture of a band-aid on it, nervous, "That's it. I don't think you'll have to bother about going to form time; P.E.'s nearly over anyway."

"Thanks."

She kinda seemed surprised about the gratitude when she left, but if she spent some time with Master Splinter an' then with _April_, you kinda get inta the habit real quick.

I got an aspirin from the lady (she was kinda nice compared ta the other teachers) an' left. Damn, it was good ta be outside the courtyards when the bell rang; they remind me way too much about fire alarms an' cops an'… dissection boards that usually came after 'em. Eugh, not a good thought.

I prob'ly should call the guys. Gotta tell 'em that I'm goin' ta Mrs M's an' James'. Okay, MP3 thing's out, but which one's the lair?

'Take me home, country road.'

… Nobody knew just how much I missed bein' in the sewers.

I clicked on it; waited.

"Hey Raph, how are you? You're not feeling unwell, are you?"

"'Sides lookin' human? No."

Brainiac sounded happy, at least. "That's good to know. We're making good progress on the reverse serum, by the way. We're testing some prototypes on your blood samples as we speak, actually. Uh… but we're running out of blood. Heheh."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give ya another batch when I get home. Just called ta tell ya that I'm on my way ta Mrs. M's ta talk ta James an' all that."

"Okay. We'll see you in a couple of hours Raph."

"See ya Don."

I turned it off, feelin' a little better at hearin' at least one a' my bros. It's weird. The last time we had ta live apart was because Karai'd attacked our old home. I know they're okay, an' I know that I'm okay, but… not bein' able ta talk to 'em was like livin' in a different planet or somethin'.

I hoped I could take some a' Mrs M.'s biscuits home.

—A Couple Of Hours Later—

Shadows. Dark an' dusty an' deadly. Overhead it was nothin' but black, 'cept for a few spunky stars stabbin' through the flimsy clouds an' the New York Lights. Underneath that same black was cut up by the lights a' drunk cars, half broken street lights an' sometimes the lighter an' the stinkin' cigarettes, but made all the more deeper and an' perfect for disguises. For guys like us.

Leapin' across rooftops at this kind a' night hasta be the best sport a' all time.

"So," Leo flipped over a flat an' landed on a fire-escape opposite without a sound. Show off. "What did James say?"

Leap-flip-swing right above Fearless without a sound.

Oh, I'm good.

"He didn't say anythin' 'bout no store, or friends, or meetin' up with anybody. That kid knows how ta keep quiet. But I'm thinkin' he's sneakin' out or somethin'. Soon."

Leo was quiet for a second before askin', "And you think that because…?"

I smirked. "'Cause the kid doesn't know how ta lie."

We watched the alley mouth where a couple a' humans walked by, like characters from a TV. screen. They neva looked at the audience, neva at the camera. Maybe a glance in the alley, but neva us. Humans were like a show ta us before April and Casey got into the picture; we watched, got somethin' from it like maybe a few laughs, a couple a' stuff that ticked us off, ya know, stuff like that.

But turnin' friends with one a'them, then startin' lookin' like one, it kinda changes ideas.

"Weirdin' ya out, is it?"

Fearless blinked a bit. "Wha?"

"Patrollin' wit' me."

He looked away. Finally. I proly had an inch deep hole somewhere on the side on my head cause a. "It's not that. Your voice and personality's enough to go past the looks and know you're in there somewhere. It's just that… when you're actually _quiet_…"

"Havin' a human round 'stead ova turtle's getting' at ya, huh."

He nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know why the shell you're apologizin' for, but forget it. I got that feelin' at my first round wit' Casey. It's somethin' ta get used to, that's for sure."

Mikey and Don came back from scoutin' ahead before Leo could add in on that. They crawled down the ladders without a sound, an' ye could only tell which one was which cause of metal shinin' offa Mikey's chucks or from the shadow on Don's back.

Crud. The damn sun's bin messin' with my eyes. I couldn't even see my bros on a fine night like this. I have _gotta_ train at least an hour before I went back ta bed tanight…

"A couple of gangies with hockey sticks are about to trash a store. You wanna come?"

My blood started ta simmer. "Sport's in season, and I'm ready ta play."

We got ta the store quick an' easy.

The only thin' that separated the gang—there were seven of 'em. Easy prey—from the display window was the middle aged guy holdin' a broom like Don's bo, only he looked like he was gonna soil 'imself before doin' anythin' useful with it. The gang wasn't Purple dragons; couple a' lowly drop outs wantin' some extra cash or somthin'. They had hockey sticks just like Mikey said, but he forgot ta mention that bricks they had as ammo.

Bah, they were nothin'.

Mikey spun his chucks, grinnin'. "I think their mommies are going to have a looong talk with their little boys at home."

Donnie smiled. "After we send home the fact that it's bad to steal from stores."

Leo had his blades out. "Let's go."

"_Shell yeah._"

It's always the look on their faces that makes me wanna laugh and yell at the same time. Laugh 'cause that's the one time when anyone looks more chicken 'en Mikey. I mean, when Leo turned off the streetlights with his shuriken? Priceless.

But I wanted ta yell too, and bash their faces in. 'Cause we all knew what they were thinkin'.

Demons. Monsters. Freaks.

That _really _ticked me off.

In the half light all they saw was blurs. Blurs that hit 'em bit by bit, draggin' them slowly to a dark, dusty alley. All they could do was swing their bats and hope ta hit whatever we were, or throw an' hoped for a bull's eye. But we were different. We knew where they were. Even with the flash a' light —probably from a passin' car— they couldn't see us. We were faster. Stronger. We knew how ta punch. How ta use our weapons ta the full. They didn't. All of 'em went down like stones, way, way too quickly.

Leo looked 'round, eyes thin an' sharp like 'is _ken_. "Y'okay bro?"

He didn't sound happy. "I thought I felt a presence. Maybe one of them escaped…"

"Well who's going to take them seriously when they blab? We're uuuun-_believable_!"

Don smacked 'im with his bo. "Mikey, quiet! I think that man's coming…"

It involved people I didn't like, but it was worth a shot. "Hey guys. I gottan idea. Leave the oldie ta me."

The bros scattered. I talked to the old guy. He seemed happy with my idea, so we took the bozos that nearly trashed 'is store ta the cops. They didn't like my idea as much as the store guy did, but they agreed. I got back ta the bros and smiled.

Leo frowned. "Raph, what did you do?"

I shrugged an' put my mask back on. "Just struck a deal with the men-in-blue, 'is all. Wanna bash up some more scum?"

Leo didn't seem ta like my enthusiasm, but hey. He didn't know what I had in mind.

—Day Four—

I need sleep.

Bein' a ninja, a turtle like me could last three days without sleep easy. But it got hard after that. Now, if I was just tired in the muscles, I could live. But with my brain workin' overtime, sleep becomes vital. An' if anybody hadn't noticed, we're nocturnal. We sleep durin' the day, patrol an' have fun at night and getta sleep 'round noon. Like bats.

So, not bein' able ta sleep 'cause a homework, trainin' an' patrollin' together with workin' out with the brain an' bein' awake in sunlight is _not_ a good combination for me.

Not ta mention the damn _attention _I was getting' that mornin'…

Seriously though. For the last three days I was virtually invisible. In the dark. All ninja. But now, it's like I'm in the spotlight in a major show. Or about ta be dissected in frontova damn crowd. Everywhere I looked people was whisperin'. Givin' glances towards me that looked scared or freaked out. Everywhere I walked kids decided I needed space. Yeah, space was good, but not when they're tryin' ta climb up the locker walls ta give it ta me.

It was really startin' ta tick me off.

I looked 'round, quickly. Everybody seemed ta be lookin' at me. _Everybody_. Shell this is _not _good. "Hey."

I grabbed a shrimp of a guy by the back a' the shirt. "What's goin' on 'round here?"

He looked like he gave all his blood ta charity or somethin'. "Let go! Please, please let go…"

"I just wan' ya ta tell me what the damn's goin' on! Ye gonna tell me or what, kid?"

"Look at the school paper! It's all there! Just please, don't hurt me…!"

I let him go an' he scrambles away like some mutt that got kicked once too many times. Okay. This is gettin' freakier an' freakier. What was up with the news anyway? Another alien invasion or somethin'? But that ain't got nothin' ta do with me…

I strolled over ta the news board an' pick up a paper. It was easy getting' there, with the humans all givin' me space an' all, but talk about discreet; they're _jumpin_' away for cryin' out loud!

This was really, _really_ tickin' me off…!

I read the first paragraph. Gawped. Read it again. Read the whole thing from top ta bottom.

I scrunched up the paper an' saw red all over.

_Somebody give me somethin' ta __**hit**_

Or even better. Some_one_.

Simone.

I turned and began sprintin' round the school, tryin' ta find her an' make sure she _payed_.

She went way over the line. _Way over!_ It's hard enough bein' the new guy, but now this? I'm treated like a walkin' jinx now! I can't believe that she'd accuse me a' this. Yeah, sure, I'm a little shady for a regular human, but I ain't _black_! When I get my hands on the computer she typed this with… oh, Donnie's gonna find parts that ain't gonna be worth repairin' when he finds the remains in our favourite dump.

One a' the teachers came over, holdin' the damn school paper in his hand. "Raphael…"

"_Not now Sir_." I strained not ta yell, bargin' past him an' inta the school blocks. When I get my hands on her…!

I find a door that had the tag, '**S.N.A.P.** School's News Agency Programme.'

Oh, there's gonna be alotta snappin'. Especially bones. But right then, the _door_.

I kicked it open with a yell that would've put Leo wincin' an' broke the lock, breaking a hinge on the door as it flew open.

The humans inside jolted.

They shrunk under my glares as I looked around for Simone. The place was a mess; lots a' papers, pictures, pens, inks an' lots a posters. A couple a' computers were sittin' around on desks, an' Simone was sittin' behind one of 'em, typing real fast an' loud.

I stomped over an' slammed the scrunched paper on the desk next to her.

"What the shell is _this_!?"

She looked at me, bored. "A news paper."

"I know that! What I _don't_ know is why in the bloody hell you'd write this load a crud!"

"Well, let's see." She said, tickin' off a list with her fingers, "You have a criminal record. You sneak around at night. You go into the sewers. You talk of banging innocent heads. You carry a weapon around. And you are very, very secretive. And you left a jacket with your gang's emblem on it on the stage when you went for a drink. Full proof."

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe alotta things she was sayin' ta me. Like, she actually saw me goin' inta the sewers!? She eavesdropped on my conversation with Mikey!? When the shell did she see a weapon!? I never brought my sai ta school. _Never_.

An' when did a jacket get involved!?

It ain't even the point, either! "That ain't enough proof ta tell the whole damn school what ya _think_ I am!?"

She snorted, swivellin' in that stupid chair a' hers. "Well, you really seem to like banging other teens' heads together."

She had _no_ idea just how much self-discipline I was usin' to keep myself from bangin' the computer ta dust. She glanced down at my hand an' smirked.

I didn't know what her problem was, but I looked down too, an' I saw. My hand was shakin' in a tight fist, ready to lift up an' do some serious damage. I was always like that. Always. Why should I notice this kind of thing? Why should _she_?

Because it ain't normal to punch a hole into a computer, or go around into sewers, or talk about servin' out knuckle sandwiches ta egg headed thugs. That's what muggers or cops did, as far as this chick was concerned. An' I didn't go in the 'cops' category.

I made myself relax, but I was still glarin'.

"Raphael."

I glared at the stupid teachers next, who was holdin' the damn paper that Simone cooked up. "The Head Master would like to talk to you about this."

"It ain't true." I hissed, whole body tense an' angry, "They're all _lies_."

The teacher shook 'is head, lookin' sorry. Yeah, right. "When these sorts of accusations are made, we have to take you anyway, lies or otherwise. You too, miss Simone."

"Okey-dokes."

She won't be so cheery when I find out where she lives…

But I had to think. _Fast_. I could think up an escape plan, but I couldn't count on it. Ain't much of a plan guy… I had to call Don an' Leo. Gotta get that ipod thing… c'mon, where is it!? Should be somewhere in this damn pocket… now is _not_ the time ta be thinkin' that maybe I left it at April's…

Geez. Nearly gave me a heart attack.

I clicked onto "Take me home, country road." An' listened ta the phone ring. An' ring. An' ring. An' ring. C'mon, guys… a little crisis here ya know…

"Raphael, I believe this isn't the appropriate time to listen to music."

"Yeah, yeah, just gimme a minute…"

It clicked. "Hey Raph, why are you calling? Isn't school already on?"

Great. Just had to be Leo. I put the earmuffs off an' started walkin' after the teacher, tryin' ta think up a way ta explain ta fearless leader. Splinter was gonna kill me when I get back ta the lair… "Look, Mister Hades. Ya can't believe what Simone wrote on that thing. I ain't a thug."

He looked at me sideways an' I felt my fist clench. I was so not enjoying that look… "She has sent photos to the Staff room, and they speak true to what she's saying."

"… Photos?"

I got a gut-instinct that I was gonna get my shell waxed when I got home.

"We'll see them in a minute."

A minute bein' enough time for Leo ta get the others 'round the laptop with the speaker an' all that. Crud. I am gonna get _such _a hidin' when I get home…

I was back in the principal's office again, creeped out by the whole room. For a school like this, this guy's room was real fancy. Nice wood, a vas that the Shredder might be interested in, a desk that looked like a prototype for the U.N.'s. Not that I knew what the U.N. desk looked like.

Ye could say he was already uneasy 'bout me, comin' outta nowhere and askin' ta be put on the roll. Accordin' ta Don that sorta thin' took weeks, not days. So… yeah. He wasn't happy ta see me, ta put it lightly. It didn't help that I looked like the bad guy too.

"Thank you, Mr Hades. I'll take these two from here."

Errgh… bein' alone in the same room as Simone and… damn it I can't even remember his name! Shell, this was bad.

"Simone. Raphael. Please sit down."

I hate the way he kept twitchin' his stupid moustache. Think he's better than us. Better than _me_. I bet he'd be crumblin' down crazy town if he had ta live a _day_ in my life… and the hair gel! What is _up_ with that? Makes his head look like a tyre with too much grease on! Sheesh…

"Now, as you probably know; it is concerning this paper that I wish to talk to you about. Now I-"

"None of it's true."

He frowned. "I would like no interruptions while I speak, Raphael. And stop that tone of yours; this is not a zoo."

I had ta bite my tongue not ta make a 'comment' on havin' turtle students like me 'round.

"Now. About the contents of this paper."

He shuffled the damn thing in 'is hands an' began ta read it out loud.

'Raphael Splinterson. Just who exactly is this guy? Shadowy and secretive, he seems like that type that might get along with Goths. If only if it were that harmless. After thorough investigation by Simone Holloway, we finally see Raphael for what he really is; no better than an Italian gang member. A rule-breaker, a street-thug, and a violent boy that gives all teenagers a bad name. Fellow students, beware, because he just might be a survivor of a leaderless street gang, the flunky of Jericho, who was arrested for the Ownership of Alien blasters and attempted Murder. He could be—God forbid—a _Turk_.'

I think I heard Mikey scream on the phone.

* * *

**Thankyou all for reading this far into the story! Sorry for not updating for so long; I'm still banned, you see. But thankyou so much for being patient and coming to read anyway! Love you all!**

**Anyway, if you don't know what a turk is, it's a gang the TMNT got rid of with the TMNT version of Batman... Nobody!**

**That is so weird...**

**Now, to the reviews!**

**_TheWatcherandReader : _Yes, you did. And thankyou so much for it too! Thank you for your praise, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to update for another two to three months. Please forgive me for the fact that I actually tell you people that I won't be able update in a while. (T.T)**

**_memyselfandi89:_ Yeah, cops are cruel. I know most of them are good in reality, but it's just that, in the turtle world they always seem to get in the way, so yeah. Turtle luck true to form. Damn straight. Thank you so much for your praise, and see you in another two to three months!**

**_kytyngurl2_: I'm really glad you think that. I was so worried that the excuse for getting him into school wouldn't be enough... and thank you for the praise on the family thing. It's just that the TMNT are so connected you know? I really want to emphasise that, along with the eventual butt-kicking. Oh... woops! So sorry for the misunderstanding! I thought that it was MT Angeli because I didn't see your name anywhere... hehe. Sorry. Thank you so much for adding me onto your C2, in that case. So sorry, and thank you very much.**

**_MTAndgeli:_ ...Oops.**

**_artykidd: _Thankyou very much for your support! Yeah, I just thoguht, that since they've been living as ninjas since the day of their birth, I thought it'd be wierd adjusting to 'the climate of Topside', so to speak. I'm glad you liked the extra touches of turtle-ism. I've got something planned for that. Hehehe... Thanks again!**

**_Eridani23: _Yeah, sorry it took so long to update. And sorry I can't sheer you up by saying the update next time is going to be shorter; on contrair, i have a feeling it's going to be far, far, longer. I'm so sorry! Thank you for your support, though!**

**And I don't think anybody new has added me onto their favourites or alerts.**

**Those who have, please find the time to review me! I'd like to hear your opinions on how to make this story better too, you know!**

**Thanks again, and see you in two to three months, **

**S.S.**


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